Civil Rights in the USA
Racism in the 1950s Although black people had made some progress through their work in WW2, there was still racism in America, especially in the southern states Black Americans now had the right to vote, but not the respect of many Americans, who still saw black Americans as the slaves they had been in the past Many southern states still enforced the ‘Jim Crow’ laws which segregated everyday facilities such as buses, water fountains, public toilets – even pavements! Some Americans couldn’t vote because of violence from white Americans
NAACP The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People), particularly tried to raise the issue of Civil Rights – but didn’t gain much strength until the 50s when Civil Rights was a big issue in American politics CORE The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded in 1942 by a group of students in Chicago. Early members included George Houser, James Farmer, Anna Murray and Bayard Rustin
Brown Vs Topeka (1954) What were the key features of the Brown vs Topeka case? Linda Brown wanted to attend her local school but was not allowed to because it was a whites only school. Oliver Brown and the NAACP took the case to the Supreme Court, helped by the black lawyer, Thurgood Marshall. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in schools was illegal and that all schools should be integrated. This was very important in the development of the Civil Rights Movement because it showed that the Supreme Court could be used to help black people gain equal rights. However, for a long time, many of the southern states simply ignored the ruling and schools remained segregated.
Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955) What were the Key features of the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man. Martin Luther King organised a boycott of buses that lasted for 13 months until the bus company gave in. In 1956 the Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was illegal. The boycott was important because; • It showed that black Americans were able to organise themselves. o It gained a great deal of positive publicity and showed that peaceful protests could work. • It inspired people and led other people to think that more things could be changed using these methods. • It saw the emergence of Martin Luther King as the most important leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
Little Rock High School (1957) What were the key features of the events at Little Rock High School?
This was the first real test of the Brown vs Topeka ruling. Nine black students tried to attend their local all white school (including Elizabeth Eckford). Orval Faubus (the State Governor) stopped them by surrounding the school with state troops. Faubus was forced to remove the troops, but they were replaced by a violent mob of about 1000 white people. President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to protect the students. Governor Faubus was so against integration that he closed down all the schools in Little Rock (1958). However, one year later, the Supreme Court ordered him to re-open them and the federal troops stayed with the students to protect them. Little Rock was important to the Civil Rights Movement for a number of reasons; • It showed that the President was willing to get involved and support black Americans. • There was world -wide publicity for the Civil Rights Campaign and a lot of sympathy for the black students • The Supreme Court got involved again and forced Faubus to re- open schools.
IMPROVEMENTS 1955-1963 Montgomery Bus Boycott 55/56 = NAACP organised (MLK’s 1st). Browder v. Gayle 56 = bus desegregation. (M. v. V. already De Facto desegregated Interstate ones) Little Rock Campaign 57 = enrolling B’s to school. Eisenhower forced to call National Guard to help. Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) growth and cooperation. Greensboro Sit-Ins 61 = Student sit-in w.only counters. Co-op of CR. groups. Many towns desegregated. Freedom Rides 61 = enforced bus desegregation. Co-op of CR. groups.
The impact of Martin Luther King & Black Power Why was Martin Luther King so important? Martin Luther King believed strongly in peaceful protest. He used methods such as giving speeches, marches and sit-ins in order to try and change things for Black Americans. He was also very good at dealing with politicians and so was able to successfully raise awareness of he Civil Rights Movement within Congress. Because he insisted on remaining peaceful, he was better able to persuade Presidents and Congress to go along with him.
Key Features of the Civil Rights in the early 1960's: The Freedom Riders IMPROVEMENTS 1962 Onwards Yes: Birmingham campaign 62 = Police Chief ‘Bull’ Connor was nice to avoid media attention. Eventually students attacked by cops raised attention. MLK arrested, writes “Letter from Bham. Jail”, Kennedy forced (to end protest) to desegregate all public places because USSR are mocking USA on the radio. March on Washington 63 = “I Have a Dream” Speech. Pressure gov. for Civil Rights Bill. Civil Rights Act 64 = recognised gov’s role to protect 14th/15th amendments (Equal treatment and voting). Selma Campaign 65 = increase voter registration. (Many other campaigns were like this). 1960’s Action – Civil Rights Movement Freedom Rides 1960s – made journeys on interstate buses to draw attention to the fact that the southern states were ignoring the laws that said interstate buses and bus stations should no longer be segregated. They faced violence and some were arrested. One bus was even bombed. Once again, they gained a lot of publicity. Sit ins 1960 – black students "Sat in‘ whites only cafes. The violence often used against these peaceful protestors was seen on television and helped to increase support for Civil Rights. The Washington Peace March August 1963 – More than 250,000 people, including 60,000 whites marched to demand civil rights for all. They heard Martin Luther King‘s famous ―I have a dream speech. This inspired many people to fight for Civil Rights causes including politicians.
Birmingham Peace March 1963 – Birmingham decided to close all of its parks, playgrounds, swimming pools and golf courses in order to avoid de- segregating them. Many peaceful protests, such as sit-ins, were staged against these measures. The peaceful protesters – including children - were attacked by police dogs and fire hoses. They were sent by the police chief, Bull Connor. The protest was significant because the President (Kennedy) was forced to get involved. It also led to the creation of a Civil Rights Bill. The voting Rights Act The Voting Rights Act of 1965, made it illegal to try to prevent black Americans from registering for the vote, by removing literacy tests for voters. The Black Power Movement: Why did the Black Power Movement develop in the 1960's?
Media less helpful in N. (violence portrayed negatively, less sympathy from whites, etc.) Churches (which organised most Cr in S.) had less power/co-op in the North Non-violence less popular and less successful. Political change was useless. Soc./Ec. changes were needed to bring black people out of poverty. MLK was less popular. had less government support (he criticised Vietnam and Johnson dropping the Big Society) Change was happening too slowly. Black people becoming impatient. What do we mean by Black Power?
The slogan Black Power became popular from 1966 onwards. It is a phrase that came to mean different things to different people, but they key ideas were: 1) Blacks should take more responsibility, power and control in their own communities (e.g. set up their own businesses). They should not rely on white to give them rights, but take control themselves. 2) A rejection of the non-violent tactics of the main Civil Rights Movement. 3) More focus on social and economic issues (e.g. poverty) rather than political issues (e.g. Jim Crow laws) 4) Blacks should study their own history and culture and that they should feel proud of being black. Slogans Like "black is beautiful" formed a part of this. 5) Some people believed in separatism – the idea that blacks should set up their own state without any white people. (N.B. this is very different to segregation!)
Who was involved in the Black Power Movement? The Nation of Islam - a group of black Muslims.
They wanted a more militant approach and a totally separate state for blacks in the USA. Eventually blacks would return to Africa. Their leader was Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X- He was a brilliant speaker who attracted a lot of publicity. He did a lot to encourage blacks to take responsibility for themselves and to be proud of being black. At first, he wanted nothing to do with white people but, after going on Hajj, he changed his views and then accepted that whites could play a useful role in helping blacks to achieve civil rights. The Black Panthers had the most violent reputation. Huey Newton and Bobby Searle set it up in 1966. The Panthers never had more than around 5 000 members but they attracted a huge amount of publicity. This was because of the way they looked, their ideas and their use of violence. They wore black berets, black leather jackets, sunglasses, etc and they carried guns. They used armed patrols to protect black people from police brutality. Stokely Carmichael was probably the first person to use the phrase "Black Power" and leader of the SNCC, which started off as a non-violent group, but later became more radical.
Results of Black Power Patrol the Pigs campaign: following cops and teaching Blacks their civil rights to reduce brutality and injustices.
Survival programmes: Free breakfast and school for Black children. Free healthcare centres and ‘liberation’ schools. Funded by local businesses and celebs. E.g. Jimi Hendrix (right) Influenced Red power (Indian)
FBI had poor relations with them. Leaders were also frequently jailed.
Some members were criminal or very violent and absorbed too much media attention.
SUMMARY In what ways did Martin Luther King's campaign change by the late 1960s? After the great successes of 1964 and 1965, King began to change his focus: He began to concentrate on trying to improve living conditions, wages and jobs for the poor, focusing more on the northern cities than before. The Civil Rights movement began to demise after 1965. Here is why;
King opposed the Vietnam War because it cost so much money - money he thought could be spent on black people. This lost him the support of some people.
People in the north thought Martin Luther King (a southerner) did not understand their problems and were reluctant to follow him.
Chicago = protests for fair housing in an all-white area turned to riots. MLK was attacked. Jesse Jackson continued protesting (despite the violence).
Focus on social and economic issues after 1965 was also more difficult to solve – mainly because they would cost so much money to solve.
Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike = Protest against boss not recognising their union turns to riots. MLK tried to turn it round to a victory in speech urging peaceful protest but was assassinated in 68.
What did the Civil Rights movement achieve for Black Americans? The Civil Rights Movement had some major successes. For Example; The end of segregation in public places. Many more schools are now fully integrated. Far more blacks now vote in elections. The first black mayor (Carl Stokes in Cleveland, 1968) was elected. Many black authors and actors have become very successful. However:
At least three quarters of the black population are still worse off than whites and rates of unemployment are higher for blacks than whites Blacks still tend to have lower educational standards. Ghettos remain in many cities Although the outward signs of discrimination have been swept away, America is still a deeply divided society with racial problems.